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Value Of Food - Anything Special For You? (1 Viewer)

Joe Bryant

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A thought on the value of food.

We have Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas dinner at our house. We do pot luck style with my Dad and Step-Mom bringing most of the food. She's a great cook so it's fine. My Mom and Step-Father (Pop) also always join us. My Mom and Dad divorced almost 50 years ago. It's not weird.

My Mom always made a Sweet Potato Casserole. It wasn't particularly special or unique. Like a million other Better Homes and Gardens type recipes. Sweet Potatoes, Half and Half, Sugar and Vanilla with a Marshmallow topping.

The last few holidays, as my Mom's health declined, bringing that Sweet Potato Casserole was about all she could contribute. And that was of course great. It wasn't about the food.

This will be the first Thanksgiving I believe in my 55 years that she won't be with me.

I'm going to try and make her Sweet Potato Casserole.

It's a big deal.

I love how food is so much more than just fuel for our bodies. It's a zillion times bigger. So in some ways, it sort of is about the food. Because sometimes food and memories are all we have left.

And I don't want that to sound sad. I'm thankful.

Rock on, Mom.

Do you have anything similar in your family where you have things "just because" that's what you always have? 

 
A thought on the value of food.

We have Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas dinner at our house. We do pot luck style with my Dad and Step-Mom bringing most of the food. She's a great cook so it's fine. My Mom and Step-Father (Pop) also always join us. My Mom and Dad divorced almost 50 years ago. It's not weird.

My Mom always made a Sweet Potato Casserole. It wasn't particularly special or unique. Like a million other Better Homes and Gardens type recipes. Sweet Potatoes, Half and Half, Sugar and Vanilla with a Marshmallow topping.

The last few holidays, as my Mom's health declined, bringing that Sweet Potato Casserole was about all she could contribute. And that was of course great. It wasn't about the food.

This will be the first Thanksgiving I believe in my 55 years that she won't be with me.

I'm going to try and make her Sweet Potato Casserole.

It's a big deal.

I love how food is so much more than just fuel for our bodies. It's a zillion times bigger. So in some ways, it sort of is about the food. Because sometimes food and memories are all we have left.

And I don't want that to sound sad. I'm thankful.

Rock on, Mom.

Do you have anything similar in your family where you have things "just because" that's what you always have? 
Same thing for us; our Mom made a killer apple crisp.  My sister recently found the recipe card and made it.  :wub:    It's such a big thing for us she had someone blow up the recipe card, framed it, and hung it in her kitchen as decoration.

Mom also made a great potato salad that my sister continued as a BBQ tradition after Mom passed.  One BBQ she didn't have the time and knew she had to bring potato salad, so she tried to sneak a store-bought potato salad past us.  That didn't last 10 seconds.  :lol:  Me and my brother still give her crap for that years later.

 
Do you have anything similar in your family where you have things "just because" that's what you always have? 
Sure thing. Years ago my mom put together a couple of recipe books. One from her recipes and one from my grandma's.   

Every once in awhile I'll make something from my grandma's recipe book. She made a great Croatian potato salad (she and my grandpa were Croatian immigrants.)

Here are the ingredients - almost exactly as they appear hand-written in this book:

Potatoes

Salt

Pepper

Oil

Onions

That's it. No quantities, no measurements, no "how many this can feed". Cracks me up every time I see it.  :lol:

 
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Not really related to holiday but every time we went on vacation as a kid my dad would load up on sugar cereal for us kids for the week. Crunch berries, frosted flakes, lucky charms etc.  Since my mom forced us to eat grape nuts and other types of boring cereal, this was a big deal for us. 

So I do the same thing for my kids now.

 
Similar situation here. As a small child, I had a very narrow appreciation of food.  As I got olders (teens?) and my tastes widened, the first thing I learned to appreciate was the Thanksgiving meal.  We had my grandmother and uncle over, actually put a tablecloth on the table, ate off the fine china, and the adults drank wine.  Whenever any of these happened, it was the sign of a special occasion.

My mom made traditional stuffing.  I liked a plain version, without fruits, nuts, or other weird stuff.  Just the bread crumbs and seasoning it came with in the bag (i thought it was made from scratch, but I was none the wiser).  Others preferred all the other stuff, so my mom made two.  She made one with varied stuff, and one plain and I was essentially the only one who ate it. I'd eat the leftovers daily until they were gone.

As the family got older, and my siblings all had their own families, my mom became more and more stressed by making food for a growing population, Thanksgiving morphed into a potluck, with different people bringing different dishes.  My mom still made plain stuffing. 💗

Hosting seems to rotate these years, and my family is hosting my parents this year.  She's just bringing a few things, but plain stuffing won't be on the menu this year.  I made it once, but it didn't turn out the same way so I've taken it out of the rotation.  I now make a corn bread and sausage stuffing, which is totally different, but both my boys like it.  I'm hoping they make the same connection to it (and the parental love) I made to my mom and her food.

 
Apricot Pie. It’s the most disgustingly sweet thing in the world, but my grandmother used to make it and I went 15 years without having any. My wife was given her recipe and started making it every thanksgiving. It’s nice to have one slice of it. 
 

I’ve never seen it anywhere else. Dried out apricots in a sugary filling with powdered sugar icing on top. I was told a Pennsylvania thing but I’ve never seen it there when I’ve visited. 

 
Do you have anything similar in your family where you have things "just because" that's what you always have? 
For holiday meals (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter), my mom's mirliton** dressing is the most-sought after side dish. She makes a ton of it -- we have relatives come in from South Carolina, Maryland, and Texas that make it a point to bring home a few quart containers of mirliton. My grandmother (dad's side) also made a version of this dressing every holiday. My sisters have both learned and made my mom's recipe, and my wife makes a version from her paternal grandmother's recipe book.

** pronounced "mella-tawn" locally -- "ir" turns to a short "e" somehow :D  

 
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Sure thing. Years ago my mom put together a couple of recipe books. One from her recipes and one from my grandma's.   

Every once in awhile I'll make something from my grandma's recipe book. She made a great Croatian potato salad (she and my grandpa were Croatian immigrants.)

Here are the ingredients - almost exactly as they appear hand-written in this book:

Potatoes

Salt

Pepper

Oil

Onions

That's it. No quantities, no measurements, no "how many this can feed". Cracks me up every time I see it.  :lol:
:lol:   I have one like that from my grandmother, listing ingredients such as "enough sugar" and "some strawberries."

To the original question, my Mom insists on making persimmon pudding either at Thanksgiving or Christmas since we always had it.  I'm pretty sure I've never had persimmon pudding anywhere else, but both of my grandmas made it.  It's tasty but a bit weird and not something we'd have if it weren't for the tradition.

 
growing up my grandma made meat pie.  she passed away 30 years ago. haven't eaten it since.

one of my cousins is doing a family genealogy exploration, digging up the family history going back to the 1700s.. pulling old articles.. old photos, etc.

she managed to uncover a handwritten copy of the recipe which i'm hoping to re-create.  grandma's crust was flaky and buttery. not sure i can re-create that but going to give it a shot.

 
Homemade seafood gumbo on Christmas Eve. 

And this year, for the first time in my life, I will be making my mom's sacred chocolate pie, as she has just a few weeks ago moved to Texas to be closer to her father and sisters. The first thing my daughter asked when hearing of her grandma moving was "Who is going to make the chocolate pie!?"  I've had it every Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I have been able to eat solid food. My kids, and the other children in the family, beg for it. The other adults in the family also relish it. She only ever made it on the holidays, so it was kind of "special" in that regard. I've acquired the ingredients, now it's just up to me to not screw it up. 

 
growing up my grandma made meat pie.  she passed away 30 years ago. haven't eaten it since.

one of my cousins is doing a family genealogy exploration, digging up the family history going back to the 1700s.. pulling old articles.. old photos, etc.

she managed to uncover a handwritten copy of the recipe which i'm hoping to re-create.  grandma's crust was flaky and buttery. not sure i can re-create that but going to give it a shot.
Serious Eats has two I love for Sweet Pies. I"m guessing they'd be great for a Savory pie too. https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/11/easy-pie-dough-crust-bravetart-food-lab.html

 
It's not a homemade item, but the holiday food tradition that sticks out the most for me is Christmas pizza.  My parents were divorced when I was 5, and my brother and I spent Christmas Eve with my Mom and Christmas with my Dad.  My Dad's cooking skills extended to microwaving popcorn and scooping ice cream.  Every year on Christmas he challenged himself to find a pizza place that was open to get us a pizza dinner, but he had this rule that he wanted to try a new place every year, which of course became more and more difficult such that he would drive up to 90 minutes away to get pizza.   :lol:   The first Christmas after he died, I was living in Chicago and due to work circumstances did not make it back to spend Christmas with the family, so I shipped my brother and stepmother some frozen Lou Malnati's to keep up the tradition.  My brother said it was the first time he ever cried over pizza.

 
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I've had clam chowder for every Christmas Eve dinner but one for the past 50 years.

From what I can tell it's a fairly common Christmas Eve dish but my grandma's (and then my mom's) recipe was the best I've had---we haven't been able to duplicate it since we (really, my wife) started making it over the past several years.  Don't get me wrong, my wife's is a great recipe but I think my grandma was holding out on us when she passed it along. She was known for doing that on occasion with a few of her other signature recipes :)  .

On my mom's last Christmas Eve dinner two years ago, 5 months before she died, she was dining with us at our home.  We sat down to enjoy our meal.  We served the bowls of chowder with fresh bread.  After the first few tastes my wife and I both realized that we had forgotten to add the clams (maybe a few too many glasses of wine during prep).  My mom hadn't noticed but got a great laugh out of it.  So we had a delicious clam-less chowder that night, the one and only Christmas Eve I did not have clam chowder since I could eat solid food.  We did make a true clam chowder for her the following week to make up for it.   I miss those two ladies.  

 
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All these mean more to me than the simple food item or beverage itself:

  • Simple grilled cheese like my mom made (with too much salt!).  Beef stroganoff and meatloaf, mom's recipes.
  • Rice Crispy Treats like my grandma made.
  • Every time I open a bottle of Shafer.
  • Grilling steaks like my dad tought me to.  
  • My wife's mashed potatoes and baked southwestern eggrolls.



 
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A thought on the value of food.

We have Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas dinner at our house. We do pot luck style with my Dad and Step-Mom bringing most of the food. She's a great cook so it's fine. My Mom and Step-Father (Pop) also always join us. My Mom and Dad divorced almost 50 years ago. It's not weird.

My Mom always made a Sweet Potato Casserole. It wasn't particularly special or unique. Like a million other Better Homes and Gardens type recipes. Sweet Potatoes, Half and Half, Sugar and Vanilla with a Marshmallow topping.

The last few holidays, as my Mom's health declined, bringing that Sweet Potato Casserole was about all she could contribute. And that was of course great. It wasn't about the food.

This will be the first Thanksgiving I believe in my 55 years that she won't be with me.

I'm going to try and make her Sweet Potato Casserole.

It's a big deal.

I love how food is so much more than just fuel for our bodies. It's a zillion times bigger. So in some ways, it sort of is about the food. Because sometimes food and memories are all we have left.

And I don't want that to sound sad. I'm thankful.

Rock on, Mom.

Do you have anything similar in your family where you have things "just because" that's what you always have? 
My mom passed in 1994.  I’ve made a version of her baked macaroni and cheese for Thanksgiving just about every year since.  Christmas as well depending on where and what we’re doing.

My wife’s Aunt that is hosting Thanksgiving requested my “famous” macaroni and cheese so I guess I’m doing something right.

 
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My grandmother’s potato or chicken salad. It’s ultra-basic, but I add dill and sometimes tarragon to make it mine. I think she’d appreciate I still think of her every time I make it. It takes me back to my summers in Daytona Beach as a kid “helping” her cook.

 
Alright fellas, if we're going to have this thread we're gonna need some recipes. Especially the  @Nathan R. Jessep chocolate pie, @cheeseypoof famous mac and cheese, and the @Osauruspotato salad.  Cough it up. Thanks for the chayote recipe @Doug B, I never did know what to do with those things.
It’s about as simple as it gets. 

1 16oz box elbow macaroni

2 lbs sharp cheddar cheese (I use 4 block of Cracker Barrel extra sharp white cheddar)

Boil the macaroni and grate the cheese.  Butter a casserole dish and layer the macaroni and cheese.  I have to press it down to get it to fit in my dish.  I put 4-5 pats of butter on top and dribble a little bit of whole milk over it (maybe 2-3 ounces max).

Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

I think it’s great.  My son doesn’t generally eat Mac and cheese but he eats mine.  My nephew apparently loves it.

It’s also very good microwaved as leftovers.

 
When I was a kid, we lived with my great-great aunt. She had a recipe book she started when she was a girl. She was born in 1887 and died in 1981. Some of those recipes were written in that book 120 years ago.

My mom inherited that book and still makes stuff from it, like corn pudding and pecan pie. Mom could make those dishes with her eyes closed, but always gets the book out: "Aunt Edna would kill me if I messed this up".

The corn pudding is still a holiday staple and I will fight people for it.

 
My mom is a tremendous cook and baker. Yes, I'm biased, but people tell her all the time she could sell her food. 

Sadly, Ive asked her many times in the past for recipes and she she says stuff like, "it's easy. Just add this, this and this and combine it with this" 😲

She doesn't have recipes anywhere but in her head and someday it will all be gone. 😢

 
We always had what I considered "traditional" holiday meals (maybe because we always had the same stuff): turkey/ham, couple kinds of potatoes, stuffing, veggies we had canned the summer before, cranberries, pies for dessert. So any of those remind me of the holidays even though we ate it at other times of year.

When I was about 9, a family moved in down the road. They were city folk and the parents were the children of Ukrainian & Italian immigrants. I thought it was crazy that they'd have stuff like lasagna or some Russian thing I couldn't pronounce. They had a bunch of kids around the same age as my brother and I. We's swap leftovers.

 
Alright fellas, if we're going to have this thread we're gonna need some recipes. Especially the  @Nathan R. Jessep chocolate pie, @cheeseypoof famous mac and cheese, and the @Osauruspotato salad.  Cough it up. Thanks for the chayote recipe @Doug B, I never did know what to do with those things.
Potato/Chicken Salad

Potatoes/Chicken (I use red potatoes skin on)

Celery

Onion (white or red)

Mayo

Mustard (I use Dijon)

Black pepper (pinch)

Dill (optional)

Tarragon (optional)

Boil potatoes. Cook chicken

Dice potatoes. Dice chicken

Dice celery 

Dice onion

Dress potatoes while hot (I eyeball mayo/mustard mix and adjust accordingly)

Dress chicken 

Add dill or tarragon if desired 

Chill until cold and serve (I usually do chicken salad on croissants)

Pretty basic, right? 

 
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We always had what I considered "traditional" holiday meals (maybe because we always had the same stuff): turkey/ham, couple kinds of potatoes, stuffing, veggies we had canned the summer before, cranberries, pies for dessert. So any of those remind me of the holidays even though we ate it at other times of year.

When I was about 9, a family moved in down the road. They were city folk and the parents were the children of Ukrainian & Italian immigrants. I thought it was crazy that they'd have stuff like lasagna or some Russian thing I couldn't pronounce. They had a bunch of kids around the same age as my brother and I. We's swap leftovers.
Love this. Food as Culture is one of my favorite things about it. 

 
Love this. Food as Culture is one of my favorite things about it. 
It was a shock to my worldview, Joe. I lived in the country and everyone was either a WASPy mutt or of African descent. Everyone pretty much ate the same stuff. And, when I watched holiday-themed movies or TV show, those folks were eating the same things I was. I had a hard time wrapping my brain around having lasagna for Thanksgiving. Didn't have a hard time wrapping my stomach around it, though.

 
It was a shock to my worldview, Joe. I lived in the country and everyone was either a WASPy mutt or of African descent. Everyone pretty much ate the same stuff. And, when I watched holiday-themed movies or TV show, those folks were eating the same things I was. I had a hard time wrapping my brain around having lasagna for Thanksgiving. Didn't have a hard time wrapping my stomach around it, though.
Love it. 

My best friend when I was in middle school was named Tommy Overgaard.

His mom's name was Henny. His dad was Erling and his brother was Fleming. Not sure how he got Tommy.

His family had immigrated from Denmark a few years prior. HIs Mom was every stereotype for Danish Baker Mom. His house on Saturday mornings was packed with kids. Our Moms were making pillsbury frozen cinnamon rolls from the exploding can. Mrs. Overgaard was crushing it with crepes and crazy good stuff. 

 
My favorite holiday dish and required side is sweet potato casserole.  My wife makes the best SP casserole I've ever had (is her mom's recipe).  

 
Love it. 

My best friend when I was in middle school was named Tommy Overgaard.

His mom's name was Henny. His dad was Erling and his brother was Fleming. Not sure how he got Tommy.

His family had immigrated from Denmark a few years prior. HIs Mom was every stereotype for Danish Baker Mom. His house on Saturday mornings was packed with kids. Our Moms were making pillsbury frozen cinnamon rolls from the exploding can. Mrs. Overgaard was crushing it with crepes and crazy good stuff. 
:lol:

Were all the other Moms jealous while secretly trying to get her recipe?

 
My mom always made everything for Thanksgiving, when she passed away 15 years ago suddenly so I took over.  I never realized what a pain in the rear making this whole dinner was.  I make exactly what she used to make..even the green bean casserole that I hate..and I love green beans. She always made rutabaga too..I hate cutting rutabaga..always afraid of losing a finger.

 
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My mom is a tremendous cook and baker. Yes, I'm biased, but people tell her all the time she could sell her food. 

Sadly, Ive asked her many times in the past for recipes and she she says stuff like, "it's easy. Just add this, this and this and combine it with this" 😲

She doesn't have recipes anywhere but in her head and someday it will all be gone. 😢
my mom and i kicked around the idea of doing a Story Corps type interview with my grandma before she passed.

get her to record her memories of childhood, parenting, cooking/baking, etc.  never came to fruition and i regret it.

might be something to consider for you guys

 
We always had what I considered "traditional" holiday meals (maybe because we always had the same stuff): turkey/ham, couple kinds of potatoes, stuffing, veggies we had canned the summer before, cranberries, pies for dessert. So any of those remind me of the holidays even though we ate it at other times of year.

When I was about 9, a family moved in down the road. They were city folk and the parents were the children of Ukrainian & Italian immigrants. I thought it was crazy that they'd have stuff like lasagna or some Russian thing I couldn't pronounce. They had a bunch of kids around the same age as my brother and I. We's swap leftovers.
I lived this from the other side.  I'm part Italian part Russian but not raised in an Italian household. My wife's family is 100% Italian. I was SHOCKED at the first Thanksgiving I attended at their house. No turkey, no ham, no sweet potatoes, no green bean casserole, no cranberries. Instead it was multiple courses antipasto, noodles and sauce, stewed meat in gravy...just craziness.  Delicious, but not what I was use to.  22 years later enough of us "white boys" have infiltrated the family that we work in a Turkey or something. When I discovered the 7 fishes of Christmas Eve is a whole different story...

Getting on a plane in a couple hours to go have Thanksgiving with them.

 
I lived this from the other side.  I'm part Italian part Russian but not raised in an Italian household. My wife's family is 100% Italian. I was SHOCKED at the first Thanksgiving I attended at their house. No turkey, no ham, no sweet potatoes, no green bean casserole, no cranberries. Instead it was multiple courses antipasto, noodles and sauce, stewed meat in gravy...just craziness.  Delicious, but not what I was use to.  22 years later enough of us "white boys" have infiltrated the family that we work in a Turkey or something. When I discovered the 7 fishes of Christmas Eve is a whole different story...

Getting on a plane in a couple hours to go have Thanksgiving with them.
Makes little sense to me. Thanksgiving is an American holiday. Why would you not celebrate with an American traditional dinner....regardless of where you came from. 

 
I guess the one holiday dish in our house with a history is the Broccoli Bake. Nothing unusual. Broccoli, cheese mushrooms etc.

Originally it was my MIL recipe. They would host Thanksgiving and one of our jobs was to bring the key ingredient - small jar of Old English cheese. Sounds easy but during the early 00's this temporarily became harder to find.

The other story was that one year we sat down for dinner and the broccoli bake tasted different.  My MIL had forgotten the mushrooms! I think the broccoli bake batin was passed to my wife the following year.

So yes Broccoli Bake makes me think of my MIL and the great Old English cheese shortages.

 
I guess there is something I make specific to Thanksgiving every year that I actually hated as a kid.  Easy Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots. My  dad made them every year and he was the only one that ate them. I tweaked his recipe slightly, but find myself being the only one now that eats them every year.  :lol:  I guess it’s fitting. 
 

16 oz carrots (I use the bagged petite microwave carrots as they cook faster)

2 tb butter (double it)

1/3 cup brown sugar (add more if needed)

1 cup water

salt (to taste)

fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

cinnamon (I add more than a pinch)

nutmeg (I add more than a pinch)

Throw everything but carrots into a pot and boil. Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots and let the wondrous concoction reduce. Usually takes 20-25 minutes. I say it takes a little more time and makes the house smell wonderful.

 
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I guess there is something I make specific to Thanksgiving every year that I actually hated as a kid.  Easy Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots. My  dad made them every year and he was the only one that ate them. I tweaked his recipe slightly, but find myself being the only one now that eats them every year.  :lol:  I guess it’s fitting. 
 

16 oz carrots (I use the bagged petite microwave carrots as they cook faster)

2 tb butter (double it)

1/3 cup brown sugar (add more if needed)

1 cup water

salt (to taste)

fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

cinnamon (I add more than a pinch)

nutmeg (I add more than a pinch)

Throw everything but carrots into a pot and boil. Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots and let the wondrous concoction reduce. Usually takes 20-25 minutes. I say it takes a little more time and makes the house smell wonderful.
Love this.

I add just a bit of cayenne. Not enough to be remotely hot. Just enough to play off the sweetness. 

 
Makes little sense to me. Thanksgiving is an American holiday. Why would you not celebrate with an American traditional dinner....regardless of where you came from. 
Because immigrants are more comfortable cooking food they know.  I guarantee you my mother in law is terrified of cooking a Turkey.

 
the one thing i remember that maybe i will try now reading this thread is that my old man would save everything he could from the turkey and use it to make a broth and then make turkey soup out of it using whatever other leftovers he could so that meant carrots and celery from the three vege trays that always showed up no one touched some onions some corn and some potatos pretty much your classic south side milwaukee german polish dont throw nuthin out gigantic pot of soup that would sit in our fridge for the week after turkey day slowing getting lower and we would eat it over those gigantic dumpling no yolk type egg noodles brohans now i just want that and my pop around again take that to the bank bromigos 

 
the one thing i remember that maybe i will try now reading this thread is that my old man would save everything he could from the turkey and use it to make a broth and then make turkey soup out of it using whatever other leftovers he could so that meant carrots and celery from the three vege trays that always showed up no one touched some onions ...
He scavenged a mirepoix out of the leftover veggie tray items. Nice.

 
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Was going to post and ask if you all did La Vigilia on Christmas Eve. Looks like that's a "si!"
Yep.  And if we do it at my place in FL we now incorporate a fishing challenge the day before.  Best we've done so far is five and supplement with some squid and shrimp.

 
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